Planning To Reopen - Child Care, Steps To Take

5/18/2020 (Permalink)

Governor Charlie Baker will be announcing the first phase of his plan to reopen the state of Massachusetts today. As residents of the Commonwealth head back to work the need for safe child care is paramount. The following steps are recommended by the CDC to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and to ensure the safety of children, parents and employees.

As always, work with your local health officials to determine a set of strategies appropriate for your community’s situation.

6 steps to take

In order to ensure the safety of children, parents and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic child care programs should take these necessary steps:

• Implement social distancing strategies
• Intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts
• Modify drop off and pick up procedures
• Implement screening procedures up arrival
• Maintain an adequate ratio of staff to children to ensure safety.
  • Plan ahead and recruit those with child care experience to ensure you have a roster of substitute caregivers who can fill in if your staff members are sick or stay home to care for sick family members.
• When feasible, staff members and older children should wear face coverings within the facility. Cloth face coverings should NOT be put on babies and children under age two because of the danger of suffocation.

Social distancing strategies

• If possible, child care classes should include the same group each day, and the same child care providers should remain with the same group each day. If possible consider creating a separate classroom or group for the children of healthcare workers and other first responders. 
• Cancel or postpone special events such as festivals, holiday events, and special performances.
• Consider whether to alter or halt daily group activities that may promote transmission.
  • Keep each group of children in a separate room.
  • Limit the mixing of children, such as staggering playground times and keeping groups separate for special activities such as art, music, and exercising.
  • If possible, at nap time, ensure that children’s naptime mats (or cribs) are spaced out as much as possible, ideally 6 feet apart. Consider placing children head to toe in order to further reduce the potential for viral spread.
• Consider staggering arrival and drop off times and/or have child care providers come outside the facility to pick up the children as they arrive. Your plan for curb side drop off and pick up should limit direct contact between parents and staff members and adhere to social distancing recommendations.
• If possible, arrange for administrative staff to telework from their homes.

Parent drop-off and pick-up

• Hand hygiene stations should be set up at the entrance of the facility, so anyone entering can clean their hands before they enter. Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol next to parent sign-in sheets. Keep hand sanitizer out of children’s reach and supervise use. If possible, place sign-in stations outside, and provide sanitary wipes for cleaning pens between each use.
• Consider staggering arrival and drop off times and plan to limit direct contact with parents as much as possible.
  • Have child care providers greet children outside as they arrive.
  • Designate a parent to be the drop off/pick up volunteer to walk all children to their classroom, and at the end of the day, walk all children back to their cars.
  • Infants could be transported in their car seats. Store car seat out of children’s reach.
• Ideally, the same parent or designated person should drop off and pick up the child every day. If possible, older people such as grandparents or those with serious underlying medical conditions should not pick up children, because they are more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Clean and disinfect

Caring for Our Children (CFOC) provides national standards for cleaning, sanitizing and disinfection of educational facilities for children. Toys that can be put in the mouth should be cleaned and sanitized. Other hard surfaces, including diaper changing stations, door knobs, and floors can be disinfected.

The CDC recommends considerations to take to intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts:

• Create a schedule
• Ensure cleaning supplies are kept out of the reach of the children
• Sanitize Toys
• Clean and disinfect bedding

Screen children upon arrival 

Persons who have a fever of 100.4⁰ (38.0⁰C) or above or other signs of illness should not be admitted to the facility. Encourage parents to be on the alert for signs of illness in their children and to keep them home when they are sick. Screen children upon arrival, if possible.

There are several methods that facilities can use to protect their workers while conducting temperature screenings. The most protective methods incorporate social distancing (maintaining a distance of 6 feet from others) or physical barriers to eliminate or minimize exposures due to close contact to a child who has symptoms during screening.

We will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, FDA, OSHA and the Governor's office to follow as we prepare for reopening. Also, we at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley know that not every business has access to the resources necessary to meet these strict guidelines. For those businesses, we are here to help!

Specialized Training

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley are specialists in cleaning services and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards. We are prepared to clean and disinfect your home or business, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work of "normal daily cleaning". Call SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley today for a free consultation - (617) 332-9000.

All of us here at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley want you and your loved ones to stay safe and know that we will make it through this together! Rest assured, we will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed!